Hostility in India rising

by

01 February 2013

By a staff reporter

ATTACKS on Christians in
India fell slightly last year, the Evangelical Fellowship in India
(EFI) says, but it is still "deeply concerned" by the level of
hostility towards minority Christian communities.

Reported incidents of
violence towards Christians fell from 140 in 2011 to 131 in 2012,
the EFI reported in its annual Persecution Watch survey.
Many incidents are thought to go unreported, however.

The Revd Dr Richard
Howells, general secretary of the EFI, said: "The Evangelical
Fellowship of India is deeply concerned at the uninterrupted and
increasing hostility against the Christian minority community in
the country.

"Though there has been a
marginal decrease in the number of incidents, the trends in the
violence look similar to last year."

Howells welcomed the decision by one state, Himachal Pradesh, to
revoke its sanctions against converts. The US and other countries
have urged India to take action to repeal religious conversion laws
and protect religious minorities.